St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-03-03
Gfte GaIedomiait.
ARBOR DAY.

The following extracts aIe taken
from paper read before the Connect
cut Agricultural society by B. G. Nor
thrOp, LII. D., on. the subject, "Arbor
Day: Its History and Aims, and How
to Secure Them" DIR. NOrthrop has
been one of the foremost advocates of
planting in this country, and has
been the prime mover in securing the
legal institution of ArbOr Day in many
states. No one is better acquainted
with the subject than he, and what he
says upon it will be read with interest.
"The honor of originating ArbOr Day
belongs to exGOv. j. Sterling Morton,
of Nebraska. The first proclamation
for the observance of such a day made
at his suggestion by the Governor of
Nebraska, and it is said that twelve
millions of trees were planted on the
day thus designated. The next year it
was established by statutory enact
ment as legal holiday, an anniversa-
~ for setting out orchards, forests, and
ornamental trees, and provision was
made for awarding premiums to those
who put out the most trees in its OBJ
servance. Ex-GOv. Morton says 'We
have growing in this state day more
than 700,0 acres of trees which have
been planted by human hands, This
work has extended over 300 miles west
of the Missouri river, and on the wide
prairies of that state, according to ex-
Gov. FuInas, u. S. Forest Commission
or, over COS, 900, 900 of trees are now
thriving where few years ago none
could be seen except along the streams.
So broad and beneticient have been the
results of the ArbOr Day movement in
Nebraska, that it's originator is there
gratefully recognized as a benefactOr
of the state, now the leading state of
America for planting. Its citizens
glory in the old misnOmer, 'The Great
American Desert since it has become
so habitable and hOspitable by cultiva-
ton and planting. Where fifteen
years ago the Biographies said trees
would not grow, the settler who does
not now plan for tree-planting is the
exception"
Continuing in another part of the
paper the subject of the reclamation of
land by planting, DR.. NOrthrop
says: "While forests should not be
planted on our rich arabic lands, there
are in New England and all the Allan
tic states, large areas of barrens worth
less for field crops, that may be profit
ably devoted to wOOd-grOwing. The
feasibility of retaining our most ster
lie wastes is proved by many facts
bOthfat home and abroad. Our Attain
tic sand plains were once covered with
forests and can be re-fOrested. Over
10 $50 acres ON Cape Cod, which thirty
years ago were barren sandy plains,
are now covered with thriving planted |
forests.
''An interesting experiment in re-
claiming barrens by explaining was
begun nine years ago by II. g. Russell;
of East Greenwich, Rhode Island,
which is genuine Object-lessOn for
the farmers of New England. Here
are already over three hundred acres
of planted trees. More than SOC, 900
trees have been set out and many |
bushels of acOrns, chestnuts, and other
tree seeds have been planted in the |
fields where they are to grow. Mr.. |
Russell is confident that his experiment
will prove n financial success. Vast
areas of sand barrens in the different
countries of Europe have been re-
claimed by tree planting. In France
alone nearly one million acres of des
Olate land, once supposed to be doom
ed to everlasting sterility, have been
thus reclaimed with thriving forests"